In the end, we’re all Kevin Finnerty

Well, I’ve just finished the 86 episodes of the HBO crime drama series “The Sopranos” the last week. It was an awesome show with great writing, memorable characters and a groundbreaking style that left his mark forever on television history. But, there was one thing that left me thinking because it didn’t came clear to me. And no, I’m not talking about the ending. I’m referring to the meaning of Kevin Finnerty in the dream of Tony Soprano.

Tony sitting in the bed of the hotel wondering what would Gary Cooper do...

First, a little bit of context. In the season 6 premiere called “Members Only”, Uncle Junior shoots Tony due his deteriorated mental state. Apparently, he confused his nephew with his old enemy Genaro “Little Pussy” Malanga who was killed in the pilot episode. Tony, who got shot in the stomach made a call to 911 before get unconscious.

In the next Episode, Join the Club, Tony is in a comatose state and has a dream-like experience in which he is a business-man not related to the mafia while in the real world is visited by his family and friends. In the dream, He awake in a hotel room with the wallet and briefcase of a man called Kevin Finnerty, who is physically similar to him.

Through the entire dream, Tony tries to locate this man without any success. He talks with every person in the place; has a business problem with two Buddhist monks who claim that he accost them with a deficient heating system and falls from the stairs and is diagnosed with Alzheimer during his operation.

In the end of the dream, he finds out a flier for the Finnerty family reunion with the address. He goes to the place and is greeted outside the house by a man who physically resembles his dead cousin Tony Blundetto who was murdered by him in the last season.

The more I think about it, I conclude that Kevin doesn’t really exist within the dream. It’s a new identity that Tony invented to escape from his mobster life. I mean, he has struggled all those years against his panic attacks due the pressure of this work as a mobster. All the people that he has executed all the traumas with his mother, all the issues with his wife and kids made him create a differ persona that manifested as a missing identity.

The way he tries to find out where’s Kevin is a journey of self-discovery.  The Buddhist monks represent the problems from the past who still haunting them. They try to locate Kevin because Tony knows that those issues from the past are going to be there as a reminder of his previous mistakes. The facts that are Buddhist monks it’s just an irony.

The Alzheimer it’s another obstacle in his journey. Apart from represent his fears of inheriting the problems of his family (in this case the Alzheimer from his uncle), it’s the curse that keeps him as the old Tony. The one who just want to forget instead of accept himself and move on.

Finally, the house sequence represents the final step into his transformation to Kevin Finnerty. The party it’s the new chance of leaving his old self and complete this cycle. The man who greets him is represented as his cousin because he was someone very close to him, a person who can be trusted and can be forgive. The only thing he needed to do was leave the briefcase and wallet of Kevin (his fake identity) and join to the party as himself.

And that it’s my interpretation. I hope you had enjoyed and I see you soon with another post about what I think it’s interesting to talk about. See ya.

Post Dedicated to James Gandolfini (1961 - 2013)

Class #6: A Meaningful Moment Through A Meaning(less) Process (Shrek is Love, Shrek is Life)

*Warning: Explicit Content

The topic that I'm going to talk about today it's kinda... well... bizarre... VERY, VERY bizarre. I know that there's different tastes and different ways of viewing things, but this is odd and strange in a totally different way. But... I'm just run out of ideas and this is the most interesting thing that I can come up with. At least in this very precise moment. So I'm going to do my best to try to explain it the best way possible.

The Video is called: Shrek is Love, Shrek is life:

And the reason because I'm choosing this particular video is because the story behind it. Originally posted as green text in the image-board community site called 4Chan in January 14th of 2013. It became an internet meme that was spread all over the internet until it was adapted into a youtube animated video using a computer program from Machinma based on a Video Game vcalled Team Fortress. Who allows people to make their own creations.

The video narrates in first person the story of a 9 year old (however, in the video is a 20 year old man) that was a huge fan of Shrek (the main character from the animated film franchise of the same name), and their devotion was so big that he even pray for him every night. And because of that, his father called him a "Faggot", but the "kid" said he was just jealous.

So, one night the boy was sleeping in his bed, when suddenly Shrek appears in his room and whispers in his ear "This is my Swamp" and then Shrek sodomize him until his father walks into the room and find them in the bed. Shrek looks him straight in the eyes and says: "It's all ogre now" and leaves throw the window. the video ends with the "kid" saying: Shrek is love, Shrek is life and showing captions saying "It's not ogre", "It's never ogre" and "Shrek is Love, Shrek is life" along with footage of the house.

The Thing that I find interesting about this video is the music. The song used in this video is an instrumental called "A meaningful moment through a Meang(less) process" that gives the video a very dramatic atmosphere along with the awkward animation and the voice of the narrator, who is so serious and melancholic that totally contrast with the over the top bizarre story.

I don't know what was the intention of the person who made this video. It is suppose to be funny? It is suppose to be shocking? It's just bizarre. It's not a thing that you explain to another person, it's an experience that you must watch to get your own conclusions. Just watch it judge it youserlves.

And here's the link of the song if you are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsJP19YhaLM&feature=kp

Five Seasons and no movie… Why, NBC, Why?!!!

*Warning: Explicit Language

You know, I don’t care if people don’t like the things I like. I don’t care if people don’t know the things that I like. And I care even less if they agree with me. But when these people… destroy, and smash the things I love so I can’t enjoy them anymore… well, guess what… it pisses me off.

So, I need to ask… Why NBC, do you really need to cancel one of the funniest shows… no, wait… things… one of the funniest things of all time? Was Community that hurtful for your ratings so do you had the need to get rid of it?

Just like a funeral, let this song play in your soul and convince you that (unlike Shirley thinks) there is NO God

I mean, I know that TV works with audience, but come on… these guys made a Stop Motion Christmas special, two season’s finale involving battles of paintball, an 8 bit episode, and a Pulp Fiction tribute, G.I Joe tribute, a Dungeon and Dragons tribute and tons of other stuff. They got the academy award winner Jim Rash, the SNL veteran Chevy Chase and the Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan as a guest star in one episode. This show was a HUGE deal.

And you decide to get rid of it just because it got shit ratings? Are you serious? It’s just feels so disrespectful to cancel a show THIS good just because of bad ratings. And you know what? It’s your entire fault NBC. Why? Because you decide to put it Thursday nights to compete with the fucking CBS train-wreck known as the Big Bang Theory.

And don’t get me wrong; if you like the TBBT, that’s fine, I’ve got no problems with people enjoy that show. But when you put this average sitcom to compete with a masterpiece like Community and it’s the average sitcom the one who sweeps with ratings. You know that there’s no chance to win the battle, so it’s practically like a suicidal mission. You killed the show when you decide to keep it the Thursday nights just because CBS moved TBBT to smash it in terms of audience.

And the thing is… people don’t care if a show like this got much better writing, much better characters, funnier jokes and an overall better premise. If a show like TBBT it’s popular because it’s easier to digest and people talk about it, you know you need to find a different strategy to try to keep it alive. NBC never cared about Community. And the saddest thing is, the rest of the world never going to care either because this show never got the popularity of that stupid, poorly written, shitty sitcom known as The Big Bang… oh, fuck that show.

So, yeah, I’m kinda pissed off because this is so unfair. This show got so many talented people involved in it and yet never got the respect that deserved. And you know what’s even worse? I used to watch TBBT. Before discovered Community I used to watch Big Bang just because my friends told me it was very funny. And even though I never dislike it, I can’t remember a single moment laughing out loud. And when I discovered Community it was so funny, so clever, and so light-hearted that I felt that all these years watching Big Bang were a waste.

Now I can’t count the reasons I should stay, I feel that one by one all just fade away. This is truly the darkest timeline and DEAN world it’s never going to CHANG.NBC Britted my life cancelling this show, and now CBS it’s streets ahead of you in term of popularity. And that’s not cool (cool cool cool) I mean: What the hell? This is a fight. WE are fighting.

Goodbye community, I will always going to proudly scream six seasons and a movie!!! for you ♫Troy and Abed say goodbyeeee♫ (for real this time) Good night everybody.

Class #5: (The Guardian Article) Goodbye Mr. Hoskins, you had a good run...

Due the recent death of the English actor Bob Hoskins caused by Pheumonia, I decide to make a summary of an article of The Guardian about him. And because I'm a Journalist, every news article has something to do with my career

But the main reason I choose this topic in partucular is because I love movies and this is my way to pay homage to this form of art.

The Name of the article is: "Helen Mirren on Bob Hoskins: 'A spectacular firework just as it takes off'" and it has 5 pictures of Hoskins acting in movies related to the 3 respondents and it's divided in 3 sections for everyone of them. (I'll put the link to the end of the post)

The article describes the point of view that worked with the actor during his life and describe their experiences and personal thoughs about him. The respondents are: Helen Mirren (British actress who worked with Hoskins in" The Dutchess of Malfi" and "The long good friday"), Shane Meadows (The director of Twenty Four Seven starring Hoskins) and Stephen Woolley (Producer of Neil Jordan's: Mona Lisa also starring Hoskins)

Mirren described Bob as a great actor and person who worked hard and showed a ton of energy in his performances. She said that he was very supportive while they were working on "The long good friday" praising his humility and pointing out that was an honor work with him.

Meadows praised his generosity for agree to work in his first feature film, but also the lessons about bussiness and the advices about being honest to himself. With the sucess of Twenty Four Seven, Hoskins and Meadows travelled to New York to promote the film. The director related how the actor refused to go beacuse Meadows was relegated to third class by the film company.

Woolen talked about the actors that he admirde the most during his life in Islington in the 60's in which he mentioned Bob as a man who performed "straight from the soul" and he opened the path to a whole new generation of actors with his performances.

And that was my post and tribute to Mr. Hoskins... I hoped you like it and as I promised, here's the link... take care...
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/30/bob-hoskins-shane-meadows-helen-mirren-stephen-woolley

Nicolas Maduro got it all wrong…

Socialism is a weird thing. It talks about the fight between social Classes, a thing that happens all the time in the third world countries. It promotes the equality and gives the state a role of serving the greater good instead of being an entity with no real power.

Some people embrace it as the fight for freedom and justice; some others paint it like the Devil and other like me judge it with a very skeptic mentality… and the only conclusion that I can get is… there is nothing wrong with it.

Yes, if you think about it, the Socialism actually can work in theory. You can create a world where everybody has the same rights and help each other in order to survive. But, the real problem and pretty much the same reason of why failed during the cold war is that human beings are selfish, lazy and careless creatures who have different needs and political thoughts that put the individual freedom over the equality… and there’s nothing wrong with that either.

So, why am I making all these talk about politics? Hell, I don’t consider myself a political expert and a lot of other people know more than me, but at least I got the idea of what freedom of speech means… a thing that the current president of Venezuela apparently doesn’t get it.

Maduro wondering if this dialogue will worth it... or it's going to be a big waste of time like what happens all the time... what do you think? 

After the departure and death of Hugo Chavez in 2013, Nicolas Maduro, the Vice-president during that time took the office after the elections in where he competed with Henrique Capriles (which is right now the main representative of the opposition) and won, the Chavez supporters saw in him a figure of great charisma the construction of a new future and the Chavez opponents considered him as the continued of an authoritarian regime that only promised more oppression and less dialogue between the Unasur (which stands for  Unions of South American Nations).

The main problem with Venezuela and the current government is the lack of understanding of both sides, I mean, in April 9^th of this year, after a series of protests about the repression on the streets the President, Capriles and the representatives of Unasur agreed to start a dialogue because the situation was turning critical for the entire country.

But it’s really hard trying to reconcile both left and right in a country with an inflation level that surpasses the 70% remove ministers and deputies for criticizing the president (like what happened to María Corina Machado), close all the news channels that opposed the government and let the military force abuse the people, like what happened to a Young student in the city of San Cristobal who was attacked by the Bolivarian army in February 4^th and triggered the protests in the country.

Other problem with Venezuela is the lack of political representation of other political groups apart from the supporters and the opponents. I mean, the news almost never talked about them and they don’t have real representation in the media. And that’s very bad because if you don’t have other political parties apart of the main two, the country polarizes and the consequences would it be devastating.

And that’s why I think Maduro got it wrong. You can’t try to apply the socialism these days because there’s always going to be disagreements between the people about who are the real oppressors, the black market and the speculation are always going to appear in places with lack of freedom. In the end, there is no real solution, and if there is, it has not been invented yet.

That’s all I have to say. Sorry of the lack of information, but I need to research a little bit more the next time, but anyway. Good Night everybody.

Class #4: Hello Darkness my old Friend, I come to talk with you again

That’s right, now I’m going to talk about the 1964 hit “Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. Now I’m going to be very clear: this is NOT my favorite song. It’s a great tune and probably one my favorites, but it’s not the number 1 on my list. I just think this song is good enough to dedicate a post about it. So let’s start with a little bit of history.

Yes, this is the song who appeared in "The Graduate", a very deppresing tune for a film who was labeled as comedy in their time...

Released in October 19 of 1964, this song was written in response of the assassination of John F. Kennedy according to Paul Simon who was trying to describe the angst and depression provoked by this tragic event. The song became an instant hit was described by a lot of critics as the anthem of a new generation.

A lot of teenagers associated this song with the Vietnam War because the lyrics describe a sad old man who feels empty and think his life has no purpose, just like the people who enlisted on the army because they had nothing to lose.

And of course, this song was used in the 1967 movie “The Graduate” with Dustin Hoffman, and believe it or not, the director Mike Nichols didn’t choose this song because it sounded pretty, no. He chose this song because “The Graduate” is a story of a young man who studied in college a career that he didn’t like it, was constantly manipulated by his parents and felt that his life has no real direction.

And what makes it more interesting is that the song is played three times in scenes that reflected the emptiness that the character was going through.

The Lyrics, like I said, describe the feeling of emptiness that a man is suffering because he suffered an existential crisis. The Title, sound of silence makes reference to the fact that nobody is listening to him and the void in his soul it’s so big that even the silence have a sound. It’s the desperation of listen something, have a human response.

I just this little gem from the 60’s because the lyrics are honest and direct, the melody it’s simple and beautiful and the movie “The Graduate” gave it a new meaning that makes it more timeless and culturally significant.

And if you don’t believe me… just listen and judge by yourselves. Take Care.

The Worst Movie I’ve ever seen, Period.

*Warning: Explicit Language

What could you say about Mel Gibson? Well, a lot of things. He can be a brilliant actor, an iconic figure from Hollywood, a controversial person and even can make a decent film once in a while. But, if you look back and analyze the worst things that has ever done in his life, there is one thing that define the figure of Gibson from a respectable figure to a miserable creep who deserves to be beheaded… a movie: The Passion of the Christ (insert dramatic music here)

I just expect that Mel Gigson will go to hell after this...

Oh my god, this movie is the worst piece of shit I’ve ever seen… I’m dead serious. This “movie” is one of the most puerile, vulgar, tasteless, profane, mean-spirited, offensive and just plain disgusting film that I ever watched… and I saw Bad Teacher, Son of the Mask and Foodfight for crying out loud. And being that 10 years have passed since his theatrical release, I think it’s time to rip on it and give this movie the proper punishment that deserves.

I mean, I’m not even Christian and I just hated every fucking minute of this atrocity. Watching this damn thing, it’s just uncomfortable… and maybe you could argue that the point of the film is making you feel the same amount of pain that Jesus suffered when he was crucified, but when I watch a movie, and especially when is about one of the greatest stories ever told and about one of the most iconic characters in the history of mankind, I expect a little bit of charm and empathy… not this shitfest of morbidity made by a religious fucktard who apparently not only loves Christ, but also wants to have sex with him.

But why I despise this move so much? You could find the answer in the very beginning of the movie… We start the film with Jesus being arrested while he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane… that’s right, instead of showing him interacting with his apostles, Mary Magdalene or his own mother (who only appeared in very brief cameos) Gibson shrugged his shoulders indifferently and said: “Who really cares?, I just want to get to the torture scenes because that’s the only thing about Christianity that really matters” lazy jackass.

We get through the scenes where Peter denies knowing Jesus, Judas committing suicide in repentance and all the things you already read in the Bible. But the main problem with these scenes, apart from the god awful acting of all the actors, it’s the lack of empathy that the movie has for them. We know absolutely nothing about them, there’s NO character development at all.

 And maybe you could argue that because the history of Jesus is so big and known to a lot of people, but… again, it’s a movie… and that equals entertainment… the idea is sympathized with the characters… and yes, there’s plenty of people in the world that don’t know the story of Jesus Christ… if a non-follower watch this film without knowing the source material… that person probably would convert to Judaism, Islam or Buddhism.

But none of these things would bother me that much if at least the technical aspect was tolerable. But no, the angles, the shots and the overall cinematography sucks really bad, and I mean BAD. This looks like S&M porn with budget. The way that Gibson directs the scenes it’s so cheap and clumsy that looks like if Michael fucking Bay had directed it.

And that doesn’t even touch the explicit violence in this film. I mean, look… I’m not one of those overly sensitive people who vomit when watch some blood (in fact, one of my favorite TV shows of all time is Game of Thrones), but the way the torture him it’s just unbearable. There’s too much cruelty with no rhyme or reason. And yes, I know that all this things happened to him, but in this movie it seems like the main point of the story to describe us every single minute of a man getting tortured and that’s NOT the most important thing in religion.

Sacrifice and devotion works because we believe in something, we sympathized with something, we mold our life teaching with that. So Gibson missed the whole point focusing on the torture.

The moral lessons of the Bible are secondary because the lack of screen time of the other characters (like I said, the scenes when Jesus interact with them are so short that you wouldn´t even notice them) and apparently, there’s a lot of historical facts that this piece of crap overlooked. Like the Roman Guardians that arrested Jesus in Gethsemane, but they never beat him. That is just a cheap excuse to watch more gratuitous violence. But don’t worry, there’s more unjustified cruelty coming, so don’t leave the theater yet.

And at last but not least: the anti-Semitism issue. Yes, it’s true that there were a lot of Jewish priests that wanted to punish Jesus Christ for his allegations of being the son of God. But Mel “Hitler-lover” Gibson portrayed them in the most cartoonish, stereotypical and unlikeable way so every viewer of this film gets brainwashed with anti-Semitic views. News Flash Gibson: Jews are NOT evil. There’s no such thing as the greedy Jew, or the Muslim terrorist or the annoying Jehovah’s witnesses… all of them are retarded stereotypes created by scumbags like you. Evil exists on everybody, that’s why we created religion, to straighten our lives you crazy fuck.

People… this movie is THE worst movie I’ve ever seen in my life… no talent, no effort, no charm… just pain, horrible, HORRIBLE pain. And if you got the terrible luck to find this god awful dicksauce of a movie on your TV one of these days: KILL YOUR TV WITH FIRE and you will be saved from the traumatizing experience of watch “The passion of the Christ” Take care and Happy Easter everybody.